


Captivation and Chicanery

by moonriseMonachopsis, Windsock_Writing



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Alternate Universe- No Sburb Session, F/M, Fantasystuck AU, Magic, Marriage of Convenience, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Rose is a very literal queen witch, Torture
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-26
Updated: 2016-05-05
Packaged: 2018-06-04 16:59:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,541
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6666799
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moonriseMonachopsis/pseuds/moonriseMonachopsis, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Windsock_Writing/pseuds/Windsock_Writing
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Based on an RP in which Rose and Eridan are royalty of rival kingdoms, and Rose has taken Eridan as a prisoner of war. All manner of shenanigans ensue. WIP, expected to have many chapters.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Queen Rose: Interrogate Captive

**Author's Note:**

> One of the coauthors, Windsock_Writing, spends more time on tumblr than AO3; go bug him at http://hotmacncheese.tumblr.com
> 
> This fic was based on an RP between the authors, in which MM played Rose Lalonde, and WW not only played Fantasystuck!Eridan Ampora but provided the following prompt: You are the king/queen of your kingdom and it is a time of war. You rarely ever take prisoners of war, but at this point you are desperate, and Eridan is a special case. He is the prince of the nation you are at war with. He was captured to put a halt on his kingdom’s plans. At this moment in time, he was chained to a wall in your dungeons. He was hanging from the wall in only torn and ripped clothing and was incredibly weak. His body was bruised and cut from all the failed attempts to pry information out of him. Now, you have gone down to see him, but for what reason? That is for you to decide

Queen Rose regarded her prisoner pensively, and took note of his condition. She snapped her fingers, indicating to an attendant that the prisoner should have some food and water brought to him to at least preserve his coherence. She looked back at Prince Eridan and clicked her tongue. “Chin up, sea-prince. I understand you’ve been keeping clammed shut.”

Eridan scowled. He hated her patronizing tone, and with what he had been through already his patience was growing thin. He spat on the ground in front of him, then looked up at her. “Next time, I spit in your face.”

The queen arched an eyebrow at her surprisingly lippy prisoner. She did enjoy a challenge. “Will you, indeed. I could have you put through forty-two different kinds of hell on earth for that. But I won’t.” The attendant returned with water and bread. The queen herself took a glass of water and brought it near the prince’s lips. “Drink. You must be parched by now.”

His scowl remained on his face as she offered him the water, and after a few moments of staring her down, he took a rather large sip of water. He kept the water in his mouth and when it appeared that he would swallow it, he instead spat it out right in the queen’s face. “Put me through your hells. I’d face them all before I betray my people!”

Queen Rose looked at him coldly, but remained otherwise unmoved. “Your resolve is admirable, dear Prince, but everyone has a breaking point. I will find yours sooner or later.” The queen motioned to her attendants to leave, and they complied. She then began to wash the water over her prisoner’s gills, stroking them gently and taking care not to catch them on her long, lacquered fingernails.

He recoiled at her touch, his gills fluttering at the water was poured over them. The bread that had been brought for him was still there, and his stomach betrayed his words, growling just at the sight of the bread. “Wwhat do you think you’re doin’?”

“I’m attending to my prisoner, obviously,” she declared in a flippant tone. “Has your hunger affected your ability to comprehend that badly already?” She then crossed the room to pinch off a piece of bread, which she held nearby his mouth, just out of reach. “Say ‘ah,’ please.”

“I figured being Queen an’ all, tendin’ to prisoners wwould be far too much for your delicate sensibilities,” he replied, sneering. He was already so close to losing his patience, and when she presented the bread to him, he nearly bit her fingers off. But he showed restraint. He had a bigger plan in mind, and for it to work he needed to at least feign compliance. He slowly and silently opened his mouth.

“You must not know much about Lalonde queens, then. I’ll forgive your ignorance.” Queen Rose stood for a moment and pondered her prisoner in the low light, noticing his teeth. Hm. “On second thought, I think you’ll get a little less at a time.” She then proceeded to pick up a bit of bread with a pair of chopsticks, and deposited the bread in her prisoner’s mouth thusly.

Eridan ate the small amount he was given and let his head hang low. “You’re right. I knoww little about you, or your rulin’ family’s history. I knoww only that you are my enemy. That, an’ that my people wwill not be disheartened by my capture.”

Queen Rose saw through her prisoner’s ploy, having encountered similar clumsy tactics before. She slapped his face without warning. “I know you at least have nominal value, you slippery little minnow. And I know there’s no way you’re bending for me so soon and so easily.” She picked up more bread with the sticks and held it were he could reach it.

The slap to his face enraged him, and he fought against his restraints. Though the old, underused chains creaked and rattled, they stayed strong. He went limp, partially from exhaustion, and partially from the feeling of despair finally creeping in. He then lifted his head slowly to reach to the bread, hoping she would keep it where it was.

The queen not only did so, but leaned in closer after her prisoner’s outburst. He ate the bread, savoring the little piece that was given to him. His sudden notice of her proximity prompted him to look up and ask her, “Wwhat?”

Queen Rose ran a finger down his jawline and brushed his hair out of his face. “I’m just keeping an eye on you. Would you like more bread, or are you thirsty?”

Eridan could tell she was up to something; why else would she treat him so benevolently? At this point, his only choice was to comply, and he rationalized it as keeping himself healthy enough to survive. “I-I’m both. I’ll take wwhatevver you givve me.”

“Very well.” The queen poured another glass of water and held it to her prisoner’s lips. He drank slowly as the cool water soothed his parched throat. He had forgotten just how thirsty he was. While it helped, it did not slake his thirst entirely. Nevertheless, he showed her respect by bowing his head and thanking her.

“You’re welcome,” the queen replied. “Would you like more? By the way, you needn’t hang your head and stare me in the face with these.” She paused to flick one of his horns lightly. “We don’t shy from eye contact in this queendom.”

He flinched when she flicked his horn, but raised his head regardless. He looked her in the eye as he said, “Yes, please. I wwould.”

She refilled the glass again, and returned it to his lips, observing the lines of his face. He could be an agreeable consort, should the war between the kingdoms be resolved without too much bloodshed. He drank again, and started to feel somewhat better about the situation. If he could keep this up, he might have a chance at escaping this dungeon. “Thank you, Queen Rose,” he said. He did not want to push his broken-prisoner act too far, and wanted to test how far he could manage to take it.

Rose smiled, but something stifled under her nonchalant demeanor was still fighting to keep her cautious. “You’re welcome, Prince Eridan. Would you like more water, or some bread?”

“Bread, please,” he replied. Eridan was tempted to return her smile, but thought better of it. She would know he was up to something for sure if he had.

Her gaze never left him as she placed the glass back on the tray and retrieved a larger pinch of bread. She held it in her and this time, and brushed his lips with it. He took a bit of the bread, making sure to get every bit of nutrition he could out of it. He swallowed the bread and looked her in the eyes.

“Thank you. You’vve been vvery kind to me here, much more than you could’vve been,” said the prince.

Queen Rose looked back into his eyes, as if she could bore into them and thereby extract needed information directly from his brain. “That I have,” she replied. “It would be wise of you to remember that.”

He nodded slowly, his eyes fixed on hers the entire time. “I wwill.” And he would, but not for the reasons she had in mind. He would remember her kindness as an act of misleading. He knew she only wanted what he knew, and he was thankful that she did not often take prisoners, for if she had then she would know and use far worse methods of torture.

Rose remembered all the tactical books she had read detailing torture techniques. She still believed in the insidious soft approach, because, well, it had always worked for her eventually. Perhaps she should try something more exotic on this one. She bit her painted lip and pulled a wand out of her bodice. “Good. Now, I have a question for you, my dear prince. Do you believe in magic?”

Even with how composed he had been under his façade, Eridan couldn’t help but let out a soft chuckle when she brought up magic. “The short of it? No, I don’t believve in magic. I must admit, howwevver, I find the study of the science of magic, the arcane, to be vvery interestin.’” His eyes flicked down towards the wand she brandished. “Do you expect to wwavve that aroun’ an’ all my secrets wwill start pourin’ out?”

“If I had, I’d have gotten down to the waving much sooner. No dear, I’m going to conduct some hexperiments on you while I have someone in restraints. How does this feel?” Rose flicked her wand in his general direction, giving him a mild electric shock.

Eridan's body convulsed against his restraints as waves of pain washed over him. He grunted in pain and stared dagger at her when the pain finally subsided. “Wwhat wwas that?” he snarled.

Rose smirked at him and eyed him up and down, observing the results of her little spell. “Magic.”

He tried hard to maintain his composure, and the only trace of wrath he allowed to show was a furious frown. “Don’t. Don’t do that again.”

“What will you do for me to not do that again? You’re not exactly in a position to give orders.” Rose fingered her wand, which was still glowing, and blew some smoke off of it. “I haven’t even gotten out the other one yet.”

Eridan shuddered at the thought of more pain like that, but no matter what, he knew he could not betray his kingdom. A silence filled the room. After a few more moments, he looked at her and asked, “Wwhat do you wwant of me?”

“I want information. And I want you to consider a… position that affords a possible tactical advantage to both of our sides,” Queen Rose declared softly.


	2. An Unexpected Espousal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is a very surprising chapter. (Not really.)

_“I want information. And I want you to consider a… position that affords a possible tactical advantage to both of our sides,” Queen Rose declared softly._

A job? This offer of hers caught the prince by surprise. He studied her face for a moment before speaking again. “Wwhat position? An’ wwhat information? Wwhat exactly do you wwant to know?”

Rose sighed. She could not believe she was offering this position to a stranger, and an enemy prisoner of war at that. Oh well. It was not terribly unusual for monarchs such as herself. “A position that my advisors have been disconcertingly keen for me to have filled for some years now: Consort. As for the information, everything relevant. Future plans, what’s being enacted now, alliances, stuff of that ilk.” She twirled her wand in her hand, barely managing to spit out the job description without blushing. The things she did for her queendom.

“A consort.” Eridan could not believe that was the job she had in mind for him. Although, if it was a way out of this dungeon, he didn’t rule it out entirely. He just needed a way to secure it without betraying his kingdom. “Fine. I’ll be your consort.”

Rose smiled and kissed her prisoner’s forehead, but did not put away her wand. She whispered in his ear, brushing a fin as she did so. “Many thanks, darling, but you’re not getting out of the information bit.” She allowed a small pulse of magic to course through him. “What job were you expecting, at any rate?”

Eridan’s body tensed as he felt the magic creep through him. “I hadn’t expected anythin’ from you… An’ I know, I’ll hold up my end.”

This time the magic functioned to heal the worst of his injuries, but it did not heal everything, and the prince remained somewhat weak. “How do I know your words aren’t empty, and you won’t make me regret my generosity?” intoned Rose.

Eridan relaxed once he realized what she was doing, and let out a soft sigh. “You’ll have to trust me,” he replied. “It’s a lot to ask for, I knoww, but if you wwant wwhat I knoww you havve no choice.”

“Au contraire, my sweet. I do have a choice. I could choose to inflict my magic upon you until you spill.” Rose extracted the other wand from her bodice, and rattled it with its mate in her hand by his ear. She then returned both wands to their sheath inside her bodice.

“That’s true, but isn’t this much easier on both of us?” he implored, allowing her to see him with a small grin. He was not smiling in confidence; he knew that she could destroy him with a flick of the wrist even if he did not understand how, so he was trying to appeal to her softer side, assuming she had one.

“I suppose it is,” Queen Rose replied as she leaned into her consort-to-be, resting her head on his shoulder. “Do you plan to furnish this information before or after we sign the paperwork? You know no matter how modestly we try to plan the ceremony, the planning for that will get drawn out over weeks if we’re very fortunate.”

“After,” he started. “I’ll tell you evverythin’ I know once it’s all taken care of.” She was right there. He could reach out with his hand and yank her back by her hair. She was that close to him. But if he did that, he would ruin his chances of ever setting foot out of this dungeon. So he would go along with it for now, and play the part of the good little consort.

“All taken care of meaning the paperwork, not the ceremony, of course. I can get everything arranged to be signed tonight.” Rose grabbed her new consort by the base of his skull and kissed him deeply, letting him have another tiny spark of magic that elicited a little each of pain and pleasure. She was pleased with her catch, but would have to remind him who was in charge and not let her guard down entirely.

Weak as he was, Eridan managed to gather enough strength to kiss her back as hard as she had. He wanted to show her that although she may be in charge, he would not sit idly by in this arrangement they had worked out. Rose smiled into the kiss and nearly swooned. Even in his weakened state, the Ampora prince was a lovely kisser. She ran her fingers through his hair as she peppered him with affection and allowed him to heal entirely. Eridan’s recovered strength allowed him to continue the kiss, and he let himself smile as well. Since she remained close to him, he took his hand and gently caressed her hair, the only thing he could do in his chains.

Rose sighed and, with a snap of her fingers, lengthened the chains of his restraints by two feet. With his reach increased, Eridan wrapped his arms around her, the chains dangling around his wrists. He had been planning out many things during their kiss, and wondered if she knew that she had made herself extremely vulnerable.

Naturally, Rose was aware of what her consort could now do. What fun was life without a little risk? She prepared various spells in the back of her mind as she nestled into his embrace and wrapped her own arms around him. Eridan knew the queen was smarter than this. She probably had some trick up her sleeve, he thought. He figured he might as well enjoy this while it lasted. He wanted to do something though, something to show her that she could trust him. With a twist of his wrists, he entrapped her hands within his chains. He brought his hands up high, taking hers with them, so that she could no longer reach her wands, and broke the kiss slowly.

Rose stared back at him, visibly perturbed for the first time that evening. Her pupils dilated and her pulse raced. “What exactly do you call yourself doing?”

Eridan grinned wickedly at her. Of course he would not do anything to harm her. No, that was not part of his plan. He wanted to scare her, and show her that he would not be pushed around. “I could end all of this right noww. You’re powwerless wwithout your wwands, aren’t you? Of course you are. If you had any other powwer you’d havve used it by noww.”

Rose chuckled. “Maybe I was holding out in case of a situation like this, sugarfins. You don’t get to be Queen by being a one-trick hoofbeast.” She smirked in the face of his toothy grin, torn between slapping him back down and humoring him, and let another magic-spark escape and touch him.

He fought through the pain and tightened his hold on her wrists. “I’d stop if I wwere you. I wwouldn’t wwant to break these pretty little wwrists for nothin,’” he said through gritted teeth.

She looked on, unimpressed. “Really. That was only a tiny dose, by the way.” She applied another spark, this one for pleasure.

With the pain gone, Eridan let out a sigh and released her hands, leaving only a few red marks. “I wwwant you to knoww that I could havve wwrapped these chains aroun’ your neck.”

“I know, love.” Rose brought her hands back down to rest them on his shoulders. “If you had, I could have broken them.” She rewarded him with another, slightly stronger pleasure-spark.

Eridan’s body shivered, and he almost fell into her arms. He would have, if not for the chains still holding him back. He steadied himself against her, holding on tightly with his hands. “Wwhen wwill I be free to leavve here?” he asked.

“When I’m satisfied with what you’ve provided.” The queen looked up at him and smiled. “I’ll be back in a moment with the papers for us to sign.” She gave the prince and appetite-whetting kiss, then left him alone with his thoughts as she retrieved the appropriate forms and a reliably quiet witness.

Once she had left, Eridan went straight back to the bases of his restraints. He scoured them for any signs of weakness, any way he could break them. As he did this, he racked his brain for any sort of information he could think of. Not truthful of course, but something he could pass off as true and something feasible enough for her to believe.

Rose returned after some time with a folder and two other individuals. She took out documents, fountain pens, and a writing surface out of the folder. “I’ve already read through these and found the provisions acceptable, but I have yet to sign anything. I’d like for you to read them first.” She gestured to the people she’d brought with her, a blond man in tinted spectacles, and a dark-haired woman who appeared to have dog ears. “This is our officiant, Sir Strider, and our witness, Miss Harley.”

Eridan looked over the two officials that were brought in. He was unsure about them, but it didn’t matter, he supposed. He reached out for the papers, picked them up, and thumbed through them. Everything seemed to be in order, and after turning the last page, he picked up a pen and signed where it was required. “There.”

“Excellent,” said Rose. She too signed where she was required, adding a lip print to her signature, before handing the papers to the others, who were only there to confirm that the agreement happened and was legitimate.

Eridan’s mind was racing. He knew that his time to talk was soon coming. In his mind he cooked up ideas on what he could say, and he knew just how to spin it for to convince her. “I suppose it’s time for me to hold up my end of the bargain, huh?”

“If you wish to go ahead, be my guest,” replied Rose. “I was going to have you transferred to another location after the signing. Sir Strider, you know where to place that.” The officiant left with the legally binding proof that Prince Eridan Ampora was now consort to Queen Rose Lalonde, and Miss Harley remained.

“WWait, wwhere am I bein’ moved to?” he asked. He could use this, he thought, as an excuse to hold off on giving her what she wanted. And more time for him to strengthen his lies.

“Elsewhere in my castle. You shall see,” Rose lilted, avoiding a direct answer just to see if she could surprise him. “And you shall be escorted by my personal security detail.” She awaited his response with a grin threatening to split her face.

“I get movved before I tell you wwhat I know,” said he, his tone of voice rising. “I’vve been dowwn here for far too long, an’ this place is too claustrophobic!”

“Very well, and thank you for the idea, my sweet. I will see you again shortly.” With that, the queen stepped aside, allowing Miss Harley and her toughs to take over, and glided out of sight.


	3. Tea and Probably Falsified Information

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Okay, torture's over. For now.

Eridan crossed his arms after Rose had left and stared at his new guardian. "WWhere are you takin' me?" he asked the woman in charge.

"That's confidential, sir. You are to be blindfolded, your chains removed from the wall, and guided to the location in question, and you may not have either the blindfold or the chains removed until you are at the location," explained Miss Harley as she began wrenching chains loose from the wall.

"Ah, fuck me," he muttered with a sigh. "I hate blindfolds." He complied with all of the orders given to him, not wanting to impede the process of his transport. After what felt like ages of being blindfolded, he was told to stop and he did. He stood there, waiting to see what was there for him behind the blindfold.

"Sorry buddy. It was either the blindfold, or a Cone of Shame. You have reached your destination," said Miss Harley. A heavy door opened. Eridan was prodded inside, and the door closed and clicked.

"Hello, dear!" crooned Rose. She removed his blindfold to reveal a very comfortable room decorated with a variety of sumptuous soft pink things.

Garish pink was better than gloomy, dank stone, Eridan thought as he walked towards her. "WWhat kind of room is this? An' did they lock the doors?" he asked. It concerned him that the doors might be locked because if there were, then it was almost guaranteed that she had a plan.

Rose chuckled. "These are my quarters. You'll be sharing them with me for now. My doors are locked in order to prevent you from fleeing, obviously." She paced around the spacious chambers, circling her consort in a vaguely predatory way before backing away. "Would you like some tea?"

Unsettled as he was, Eridan found something almost calming about the room. He was drawn to one of the couches in the room and he took a seat, his eyes glued on Rose the whole time. "I wwould, thank you."

Rose swept into another room to fetch the tea she had steeping. She generally preferred to do such things herself rather than rely on a servant. "Is ginseng all right with you, dear?"

"Yeah, that's fine." he replied. He was wondering why she wasn't pressing him about what he knew. This whole thing was confusing him the more he thought about it. Perhaps it was due to her inexperience in torture, he thought.

She swept back in the central room and set down a tray in front of the couch, then seated herself beside Eridan and started pouring up the tea, smiling sweetly. She added two sugar cubes to her cup before leaning back with it. Then she noticed something was amiss. "Oh, how could I have forgotten!" she exclaimed. She snapped her fingers and his chains felt to the floor. "So, what in the world is your kingdom up to?"

He was finally free. Well, as free as one could be in a locked room. Nevertheless, he was free of his chains. The thought immediately crossed his mind to wrap his hands around her fragile neck and strangle the life from her, but that would solve nothing. Instead, he picked up his cup of tea and calmly took a sip. Now was the time for his plan to commence and after he set the teacup down, he looked into her eyes. "My kingdom," he started, "is in utter disarray."

"Is it, now? Do elaborate." Rose drew out a sip of her tea and permitted her eyes to wander about his face before returning eye contact.

"The decision to go to wwar with your kingdom wwas... not unanimous," he said, pausing to sip from his tea. "Durin' the early months of the wwar, there wwas intense political unrest. Most of us didn't wwant to go to wwar wwith any nation, myself included, but my father wwouldn't listen."

"It seems our union is a boon for anyone interested in not warring anymore. If your presence here is actually advantageous to you, though, why did you allow yourself to be put through what we put you through? Why not spill sooner?" Rose arched an eyebrow, somewhat skeptical about her consort's explanation so far.

Everything hinged on the next few minutes for him. Now was the time he needed to be most convincing and to do this, he set his cup of tea down and held his head in his hands. "There wwas a coup. In the days before you captured me, my father had started to cave in reference to his stance on wwar. He wwas ready to draft a treaty, wwhen his most trusted advvisors killed him. They killed him, they killed my mother, my brother, an' they wwould'vve killed me if I hadn't escaped the castle."

Queen Rose looked pensive for a moment, and held his hands in her own. "That sounds perfectly awful. But I think you'll understand that I would like some form of confirmation. I... have methods, and now that I have better parameters for them I can dispatch them more effectively. Thank you. Whether you have been entirely honest with me or not, it's something."

Shit. If she investigated, she would find out that he was lying about everything. He needed to get creative. In an instant, he grasped her hands between his and stared her dead in the eyes, an intense feeling of dread in his eyes. "You can't. Anyone you send there wwill die, these people are ruthless, more so than my father. You need to trust me, my kingdom has nevver been more dangerous to be in." His hands shook as he spoke and the emotion in his eyes turned from dread to full on fear.

"Shhh, love," Rose whispered, papping his face. "My methods don't directly involve people, so no one will be harmed."

Shit, shit, shit. There was no way he could get out of this if he didn't know what methods she planned on using. He needed to know what it was she meant. "WWhat," he said, pausing to rub his eyes, "wwhat are your methods?"

"Trade secret," Rose murmured. She leaned in close and whispered, "You have a good idea of what will happen if I find you've been dishonest."

He nodded, hoping that she couldn't already tell he was lying. "Is it magic based?" he asked, his mind racing to keep the lie alive. "Because if it is, there's somethin' you need to knoww."

"I have methods based on magic, and otherwise. Let me hazard a guess: There's something in place to block magic use or attack any users of magic who approach." Rose picked up her tea and continued to sip it. "If that's the case I may or may not have already slipped past such a measure."

"It's not quite that." he started. "It's somethin' I... I don't knoww howw to explain it. The coup that replaced my father wwas deep into the arcane, an' as I'm sure you knoww I don't understand a lot of it."

"Fascinating. So there is a possibility that they may be able to detect my influence, or even attempt to overpower me?" Rose grinned at the prospect of a proper magical duel. "Do try your best to explain this somethin' for me."

"It... It wwas really confusin', I wwasn't sure wwhat wwas happenin', but wwhen I wwas leavvin' I ovverheard screams comin' from a room. Some magic user I guess, but evvery time they tried castin' a spell in that room, they'd start screamin,’" he said, trying to look traumatized. "I think they wwere practicin' some kind of field that wwould harm any caster wwhose spells touched it. Havve you heard of anythin' like that?"

"Heard of, yes, actually encountered, no. I wonder if such a field would be efficacious on its own caster as well." Rose pondered, finished her tea, and made a mental note to send her most expendable magical novices to verify this. "Magic is so tricky sometimes, and can backfire with traumatic results if you know not what you're doing," she sighed.

"Evverythin' can be like that wwith inexperience," he said, sitting back on the couch. He knew he wasn't in the clear yet, but she seemed to understand that this was a dangerous situation for her. "You aren't thinkin' about testin' the effects of that field yourself, are you?"

She turned to face him and clasped a hand to her chest melodramatically. "Oh Eridan, did I detect a hint of concern in your tone?" She kept up the theatrics for a moment, still holding his hand as she turned away and blushed. A moment later her more sardonic self had returned. "Then again, you could be egging on the enemy witch-queen in a roundabout way, expecting her to hop gleefully into a trap. Whether I check it out for myself or send someone in my stead is not your concern right now."

"Look, call it wwhat you wwant but I'm just tryin' to tell you wwhat you're dealin' wwith. An' I kind of need you to stay alivve, because wwhat happens to me if you do?" he asked. The more he thought about it, the more he actually wanted to know the answer to that question. No outcome of it seemed favorable.

"Hm. I haven't explicitly chosen a successor, so naturally that which is currently my domain will be plunged into political chaos,” explained Rose. “As my consort, you are a strong contender for the position should I be rendered incapable of ruling. That would be a dangerous situation for you, and a bugger to navigate- my subjects would probably believe you had a hand in my demise and be unwilling to accept you; various others would be vying for the position and I know some of them would not be above having you assassinated; not to mention what opportunities my rivals might attempt to seize. There's a chance you might end up on my throne, but it is narrow and would be ridiculously hard-won."

"WWhich is exactly wwhy I need you to not die." He sighed and buried his face in his hands. "I'vve had enough of political succession for one life. Can you promise that if you absolutely havve to test this field, it wwon't be you testin' it?"

Rose regarded him with- what was this, pity? Surely not! "I absolutely must have this field tested," she said as she wrapped her arms around him and allowed him to rest his head on her chest. "But I promise I will not be the first to test it."

He breathed a sigh of relief. As long as she didn't test the “field,” he could have whomever she sent killed. It would be a bit tricky, but he was positive he could do it. Also, he liked not having to worry about being assassinated over a throne he didn't want. "Thank you, Rose."

Rose observed her consort in silence and stroked his hair. She wondered how sincere he really was in his repulsion from politics- the notion of a consort who was not only there to seek control pleased her immensely. Perhaps he could serve as a cultural liaison between their respective kingdoms and provide companionship for her and leave it at that. As for this "field," she would send an undercover mage she had been annoyed with and a monitor raven to scope it out, while focusing the majority of non-infiltration efforts on defense. She kissed his forehead. "You're welcome, dear."

It was all falling into place for Eridan now. The last thing he had to do was ensure the death of whomever she had planned to inspect the area, and that was only a letter away. For now, he just needed to play the role of the good consort. Eridan turned to her and pulled her into a tight embrace. "Thank you for givvin' me this chance, Rose. I'll nevver be able to repay you."

"Thank you for accepting it, my dear Eridan." She returned the embrace, pressing herself into him, and kissed him boldly on the mouth.

He returned her kiss, enveloping her in his arms. With the kiss he felt... something? It was strange, but there was something different about this kiss. Perhaps he could come to like this arrangement he had ended up in.

Rose relaxed fully into the kiss, and reached up to rest her hands about his shoulders and brush her fingertips against his gills. She could acclimate to this. Eventually, she pulled away slightly and asked him: "How would you like a bath? And clothes that have not been shredded to rags?"


	4. Ablutions and Airmail

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The chapters are getting a little longer each time. Huh.

_"How would you like a bath? And clothes that have not been shredded to rags?"_

He had forgotten about the tattered clothes he was wearing and could only imagine how dirty he was. "Yeah, that wwould be great. Is there a bathroom in here?"

"In the queen's quarters? Are you joking? Of course there is!" Rose shook her head in disbelief. "Can you figure out how to work the plumbing, or do I need to summon an attendant?"

He chuckled and stood up, looking around the room for the door. "I can figure it out. I might need you to point me in the right direction, though."

"Here. I'll show you." Rose led him to a room enclosed not with a door, but with a heavy blue curtain. Oddly, only one of the rooms within the queen's private chambers had a door; all other rooms were either open to each other or curtained off.

"Thanks," he said as he walked into the bathroom. He drew the curtains closed and started running the bath. While the water was running, he disrobed and sat by the tub, watching it fill.

Meanwhile, Rose left him in order to get some suitable clothes sent for him and make covert investigative arrangements. A particularly aggravating mage in her employ was to assume some inconspicuous identity and venture into enemy territory, monitored, of course. She would not notify her consort of this. At length, she received a dressing gown and a set of plain but good quality day clothes for the prince. She returned later and knocked on the bathroom doorframe with the clothes in hand.

Eridan was in the bathtub when she knocked, his body already clean for the most part. "Enter!" he called, sinking down until only his head was above the water.

"I've brought you some clothes," she declared as she entered the room with her gaze lowered. "I hope they'll suffice. How's the bath?"

"It's wwonderful. Thank you for the clothes," he said, smiling softly at her. He had her trust for the moment, he thought. Now would be the best time to ensure he stayed her consort. "Rose, I'm sorry to ask of this so soon, but I need a favvor."

"Of what nature?" she inquired, one eyebrow arched.

"My grandmother, she's still alivve in the countryside of my kingdom, I need to send her a letter. She doesn't knoww about the coup an' I'm the only one wwho can tell her."

Rose set down the clothes, sat on the edge of the tub, and thought for a moment. He may or may not have been truthful; if he were, she'd feel bad about being unkind to her consort; if he were being dishonest, well, that too would be regrettable. He'd better have excellent encryption skills if the latter were the case. "Very well. Hopefully she has not been affected by the coup already. How do you intend to send it to her?"

"I am not sure. By a messenger bird, I suppose." This was good. With this permission he had, he could send a letter to his father warning him of any incoming inspectors. The two of them had a system in place that they had had to use before. Any letters written by Eridan to his grandmother went straight to his father. Only the two of them knew what the context of the letter truly meant.

"Messenger bird- oh, we keep many fine specimens of those. Yes, I expect that shall be fine." Rose tried not to sound too pleased; she could cast a spell on any animal enabling her to track it and access its sensory input whenever she liked. She might not be able to intercept the letter, but she could verify whether it actually went to his grandmother. She wondered if and how Eridan would break the news of his new legal marital status to his remaining family.

"Thank you, Rose," he replied, smiling at her. He already knew exactly what to write to convey his message to his father and he needed to get to writing it quickly. "Can you hand me a towwel, please?"

Rose returned his smile sweetly. "Certainly. Would you rather I left the room, or assisted you?"

"I don't mind you stayin'. As your consort, I'm sure you'll see me like this evventually," he said and chuckled softly.

Rose stayed put and observed him leisurely. "True," she admitted, nodding.

He stood up carefully and stepped out of the tub. Dripping and cold, he looked around for a towel as he walked toward her. She grabbed an oversized towel and closed the distance between them, then draped the towel around him. He pulled the towel tight around himself, drying himself as he did. "Thanks," said he. Soon after, he went to put on his fresh clothes.

"You're welcome, my dear." She smiled and ran a hand through his clean, still dripping hair. He smelled like her favorite soap now.

"If you'll excuse me, I should really write this letter. Do you havve any parchment in here?" asked Eridan.

"I do in the parlor. There is a desk there that I keep stocked; I think you may have seen it from the couch," Rose replied.

With a nod, Eridan left the bathroom and sat down at her desk and rifled through it until he found all the things he needed. He wrote about how he was "abroad" and that given the chance, he would be returning home with "a visitor." He signed it and sealed the letter when he was finished, and handed it to her. "I'm assumin' that you wwon't just let me wwander around lookin' for the messenger birds?"

"Well, no. You might get lost; this is after all a rather labyrinthine castle. I shall escort you to the postal aviary." With that, Rose linked her arm in his and marched out of her private quarters with him.

He was surprised that she was taking him with her, but he was happy to be moving. He walked with her throughout the castle, taking in all the sights. He also noted the looks he was getting from her people; some of them favorable, but others were disdainful. Notably, none of Queen Rose's people said anything nor attempted to hinder them; they all knew of her delight in dismissing the petty opinions of others, and what she could do when particularly annoyed. One did not simply act out before a witch-queen. The queen led her consort down hallways, past stained-glass windows, and through a courtyard before they finally arrived at the menagerie-cum-post-office that housed the messenger birds. He walked in and looked around at all the birds in residence.

"Do I need a specific bird?" Eridan asked.

Rose indicated a barn owl wearing bejeweled leg bands. "Thebabe is my personal favorite; he's smart and reliable." She gestured at the ravens, pointing at specific ones. "These biddies are the fastest, when they stay focused. Lock and Shock are usually okay; Barrel is suited for short distances only. I’m afraid we haven’t any crows, though. Which bird do you think will be most suitable for your purposes?"

"I think Thebabe wwould be the best for this letter. I need a reliable bird to delivver this," he said, a grin on his face. The truth was, any bird would have had the same result. In times of war, his kingdom shot down all incoming birds that did not belong to the kingdom.

"Very well." Rose moved to get Thebabe to accept the letter, but the barn owl glared at Eridan, hissed, and withdrew. Rose frowned. "I guess we're not sending Thebabe on this one. He's not usually so pissy. I wonder... We'll have to send Errol instead. He still lands like an owlet fresh out of the tree, but he is otherwise very comparable to Thebabe."

"That is fine, thank you for letting me send this letter. My grandmother wwill appreciate it greatly."

Rose moved toward Errol, who hopped from his perch onto her forearm eagerly, and she scratched his head, murmuring what sounded like baby talk to him. She then paused and shot a “you didn't see that” look at Eridan before sending the owl off with the letter. "Good owl,” she murmured.

Eridan watched as the bird flew off, knowing its fate the moment it took to the sky. The bird would fly on to get to the castle but before it could so much as cross the high walls of his family's castle, it would be shot down. The attached letter would be taken to the king, and Eridan's message would be pieced together by his father. As a result, there would be an increased wariness for spies; anyone found guilty of being one would be executed.

Rose suspected her consort had something hidden in the letter pertaining to what little she had revealed of her plans to him. Yes, alternative means of monitoring the situation would be necessary. She could engage in one such method later, but it would need to wait until she was away from Eridan. Still, she didn't want to give him free reign of the palace, nor lock him away back in the dungeon or any old room. She would conceive of something soon enough. In the meantime, she had worked up an appetite. "Eridan dear, would you like to dine with me?"

"You mean I get to eat food other than bread an' wwater?" he said, laughing. "Yes, that wwould be great."

"Come along, then!" chirped Rose. "We shall have a hearty meal brought to my quarters. What are you craving?"

"Honestly? Anythin' hot an' a nice bed to lie on after,” replied Eridan.

"Done, and done. I want spiced potatoes, a stuffed bell pepper, and some apple strudel myself. Would you like the same?" Rose glanced away to wave subtly at Miss Harley, who was on patrol.

"That wwould be lovvely. God, it's been a wwhile since I'vve had a good meal," he said, his mouth watering just at the thought of such delicious food.

"I bet it has." They stopped by the royal kitchens to order their food, and shortly thereafter an attendant was pushing a cart laden with the fresh, hot fare and a bottle of red wine to Rose's rooms. A table was set, and the pair sat down to eat.  
Eridan was delighted to eat this food; if it tasted half as good as it smelled, it would be the best meal he'd had in months. He ate relatively quietly, only pausing to eat to sip his wine.

Rose too enjoyed the food, savoring everything, but lavishing just a little more attention on the wine. "How do you like it?" she asked, even though she could see his appreciation plainly.

"It's delicious," he said, setting down his now empty wine glass. "If only the earlier parts of my stay wwere as luxurious as this."

"Tsk tsk. That was a swift guilt trip. If only someone had caved sooner," she retorted as she poured herself another glass.

He shrugged as he poured himself a fresh glass as well. "WWell, you just hadn't made the right offer yet." he said, grinning as he sipped his wine.

"I had made no offers yet. But I am glad you found that one acceptable." Rose sighed and stared blankly into her glass for a moment, then returned his smile.

Eridan raised his eyebrow briefly when he noticed her blank stare. He decided to just leave it be though, her problems were not his own, at least not yet. Instead, he continued eating until his plate was clean.

Rose cleaned her plate as well, started to gather dishes to return to the cart, and then paused. "Would you like desert?" she entreated.

"Dessert wwould be lovvely," he said, still drinking his wine. "Thank you."

Rose flitted to her kitchenette to retrieve dessert. Why didn't more royals have their own small private kitchens? Not everything had to come from the royal kitchen. She returned in short order with ginger snaps and orange jam cookies, which she placed between them before seating herself. Eridan picked at the cookies, feeling a bit full from the lovely dinner they had. The cookies were as good as he expected them to be and he finished his wine. He started to feel a bit inebriated from the wine; it had been a while since he’d had anything alcoholic.

Rose popped the last cookie into her mouth happily, gathered up the dishes, placed them back on the tray, and pushed the tray back out of her quarters to a waiting attendant, who conveyed a brief message to her. She nodded, shut the door, and swept back into the parlor, where she all but collapsed onto a couch. "My goodness, I'm full," she declared, smiling at nothing in particular. Ah, there was that warm, subtle buzz. "How content are you, my dear?"

Eridan chuckled at her display and joined her on the couch, his own buzz setting in. "Extremely contented. Y'knoww, I had my doubts at first, but I just might enjoy this arrangement of ours." It might have just been the wine, but the more he thought about it, the more Eridan realized that this was a way out for him. Back in his kingdom, he was overshadowed by his older brother, whom his father favored in every way. This was his chance to escape his father's influence.

"Fantastic!" chirped Rose, before the vague notion that she might attempt to be more regal and less silly and maiden-like occurred to her. This she dismissed, along with a cheesy line about her minions' capture of him being a successful treasure hunt. She sighed and leaned into her lovely violet-finned consort. "I believe I shall too."

"It's gonna be nice gettin' to sleep in a bed again," Eridan muttered, his eyes closing. He lazily draped his arm along the couch behind Rose and sighed happily, thinking about his future here. If every night were to be like this, he could definitely enjoy this life.


	5. Koi Pond and Chill

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the title. I really couldn't think of anything better.

_"It's gonna be nice gettin' to sleep in a bed again," Eridan muttered, his eyes closing. He lazily draped his arm along the couch behind Rose and sighed happily, thinking about his future here. If every night was like this, he could definitely enjoy this life._

Rose pondered for a moment. The queen's chambers weren't exactly the sort of place where overnight guests were expected. There were many sleep-conducive non-bed items, but the only actual bed was... her own. Then again, bed-sharing was very typical of consorts. Rose blushed and inclined her head toward her own consort. "Eridan?"

"Yes?" replied Eridan, a puzzled look on his face.

"There's only one bed in these rooms. Thought you should know. Would you prefer to share it, or sleep elsewhere?" she asked.

He thought for a moment. It had been a long time since he shared a bed with someone; Eridan thought that he might like the company. "I don't mind sharin' a bed at all."

Rose smiled. "Good." She too would appreciate the companionship; monarchy could be very lonely, and her consort was still a very recent addition. It could be a nice opportunity to actually get to know him, provided neither of them was too tired.

"I'm assumin' that the bedroom is attached to this room, correct?" he asked.

Rose gestured in its direction. "It's down that hallway, behind the red curtain with the beads."

Eridan nodded slowly and stood up to check out the room. As he stood up, the effects of his intoxication came strong, causing him to stumble towards the bedroom. He ended up tripping over his feet and fell across the hanging bead threshold, laughing as he fell.

"Careful!" cried Rose, whose tolerance for alcohol was somewhat higher. She snickered as she helped him back on his feet. "You silly."

Eridan shifted most of his weight onto her as he walked towards the bed. Beds looked softer then he could remember, and was delighted to find out that this was indeed the case when he flopped down onto it. He rolled onto his back and grinned up at her. "This is the softest bed I'vve evver felt... You sleep on this evvery night?"

"Yes, when I don't fall asleep in a chair or forget to sleep altogether. Being Queen has its perks." Rose toed off her boots before joining in on the bed-flopping.

Eridan crawled up the bed until he got to the pillows and picked one up, feeling how soft it was. His eyes widened in drunken wonder over how soft the pillow was. "Oh my god... It's like a cloud," he remarked.

"The better for dreaming on!" Rose declared. Suddenly she got up and ducked behind a screen, and began disrobing. Eridan fluffed the pillow absentmindedly as he watched her disappear, wondering what she could be up to. A moment later, Rose stepped out from behind the screen in a simple, thin lavender nightgown and fell back onto the bed.

Eridan looked her over, a small smile pulling on his lips. "WWhat a nice outfit, you alwways wwear that to bed?"

Rose smiled at his flattery and stretched, popping her own back. "Often, but not always. It's comfortable."

Eridan stretched his arms out over his head, looking down at her and smiling. "I wwish I had somethin' that comfortable to wwear. Not that these clothes aren't nice it's just, they're a bit stuffy."

"Where's the dressing gown I brought to you earlier?" chided Rose, sounding like an exasperated mother.

"Hell if I knoww," he started, letting out a tired sigh, "This place is like a maze to me... An' I'm pretty drunk."

She sighed. "Fine. I'll go retrieve it- you probably left it in the bathroom. Can't have you getting lost or tripping on anything else."

He laughed to himself and fell back onto the pillows, his eyes closing. He wasn't falling asleep quite yet, but he was well on his way.

Rose left, then returned in short order with said dressing gown, despite stubbing her toe on a stack of tomes. "Not-stuffy clothing is here," she announced.

Eridan cheered and stood up to get the clothing from her. Once he had his clothes, he went behind the screen to change. "Thanks, Rose!"

"You're welcome, my sweet." Rose proceeded to rearrange the pillows, blankets, and sheets enough to get comfortably between them, settled into the left side of the bed even though she was accustomed to being in the center, and awaited him.

Eridan pulled on the fresh clothes and stumbled towards the bed, flopping down beside her once he made it there. "God, I feel like I'm gonna sleep forevver."

Rose dimmed the lights with a flick of her wrist, and nestled closer to him. "You probably need it. Good night, Eridan," she murmured before tucking the covers around him and kissing his cheek.

His arm made its way around her and he pulled her closer. "G'night, Rose. Here's to many more." he said, closing his eyes.  
Rose sighed contentedly and wrapped an arm around him as well, pressing herself into his lean frame. The sounds of his breathing and heartbeat eventually lulled her to sleep. Eridan slept throughout the night, snug and warm with his new Queen. As morning came, he was still sound asleep, his body turned towards her and his arms tight around her.

Rose awoke and yawned at an unusually respectable hour- it wasn't uncommon for her to awaken during the wee hours or simply eschew sleeping at night entirely. Someone was clinging to her? Oh- right. She had a consort now. The Ampora prince, from the kingdom with which she was currently at war. He was rather endearing, she supposed. She allowed him to continue sleeping as she stroked his face lightly.

Eridan had always enjoyed sleep. It allowed him to escape all the problems of his life as prince because, believe it or not, that life was not easy. Put that on top of the added pressure his father gave him to be the kind of leader he wanted to be, and it was all overwhelming to him. His dreams had always been filled with the struggles of his people, whether they were real or fabricated, and that was the case in the sleep he had now. It only took the gentle caress of her hand to wake him though, and he couldn't be happier she had.

Rose smiled as Eridan's eyes fluttered open. "Good morning. I trust you slept well, my love?"

A small smirk spread across his face at the mere thought of a peaceful sleep. "About as wwell as I evver havve," he said, almost muttering.

Rose furrowed her brow in concern. "Is that good or bad? You aren't hungover, are you, dear?" She extended her caresses to include his hair and fins.

"No, no I'm fine. It's just..." he sighed, looking down at her. "I'vve nevver really slept wwell. Chalk it up to uh, 'princely duties'."

Rose nodded understandingly. "Queenly duties often keep me awake. Had it not been for you, I'd probably have stayed up all night reading or experimenting."

"WWell evveryone could use a break noww an' then." he said, smiling softly. "An' at least you don't havve someone breathin' dowwn your neck about howw to run things."

"True. I have some people who criticize and suggest decisions for me, but the only person who would be telling me how to do things has since abdicated," she replied.

"It's a lot better than a demandin' father," he sighed. His mind flooded with thoughts of his father and of his kingdom, as his mind typically did. But he pushed his thoughts aside, this was, after all a new chance for him. "That's all in the past though, no use in thinkin' about that, huh?"

"I suppose not..." Hadn't he claimed his father had been killed in the coup? If that were so, how was the overbearing king still an apparent concern of Eridan's? Ah well. She decided not to press him. "By the way, when and how do you think it would be most prudent to formally announce our engagement?"

"WWhatevver you think is best," he started, sitting up in their bed. "These are your people after all, you knoww them best."

"However mine react, I can handle them. I'm concerned about yours. How would they react to our union? Might it encourage them to consider peace agreements, or might it further aggravate them?"

"It wwould prompt them towwards peace. My people tire of wwar, they'vve knowwn it for far too long." The thought of ending the war between them was favorable; he only hoped that she could forgive him after she inevitably found out about his lie.

"I hope you're correct, given the volatile situation." Rose stretched, then sat up and moved to fix her consort's bedhead. "We can speak with Sir Strider about how to announce it and whom to invite to the ceremony later. Have you considered what you'd like for breakfast?"

"Eggs," he replied with a smile. "An' as for the ceremony…" he started. This would be the hardest moment of his con to sell; perhaps he would go ahead and allow the curtain to fall. "Wwe might havve to uh, pad out my side."

"I'll order us some eggs, and I think I'd like toast too. Pad it out?" Rose paused. "Ah."

"Enough about that, let's talk about other things. WWhat's on our list today?" he asked.

"Definitely eat breakfast. Then we could go for a walk about the grounds- there's a koi pond that I like to observe sometimes,” she replied.

"A koi pond," he said. The idea of seeing fish of any kind made him happy, his thoughts finding their way back to his kingdom and the sea life that was nearby. "That sounds wwonderful, actually. I miss seein' fish."

Rose smiled softly and stroked his hand. "I'll wager you do." Breakfast arrived in short order. There was juice, tea, eggs both scrambled and fried, toast, and various jams.

Eridan took a bit of everything, feeling hungrier than he had been the night before. All of the food was just as good as it had been, and it was refreshing to him to eat so well. With a soft chuckle, he looked at her. "You knoww, it's so strange that at the start of this wweek, I wwas locked awway. Presumably until I died. An' then you placed me into the lap of luxury. Your lap, ironically enough."

Rose returned his gaze from behind her lashes after taking a sip of her tea. "To be blunt, the whole object in capturing you was to get something out of you. The locking away and torturing business wasn't as effective as we'd hoped, so naturally I had to consider alternatives." She then wrapped both of her hands around his hand which was not occupied with obtaining food, and squeezed it. "I'm very glad I did. You're a better catch than I ever anticipated."

Eridan stopped eating for a moment to look at her. He gave her a warm smile, but on the inside his lie was rotting him away. At this point he couldn't tell whether she knew he was lying but it didn't matter to him. Either she did know and was only doing this until she could have him killed in some way that didn't implicate her, or she didn't and all of that would happen after he told her. Oh yes, Eridan had thought it over and once he was sure that tensions had died down, he would come clean.

Rose pondered what could possibly be going on behind her consort's eyes. He smiled, but there was some subtle uneasiness in them. She arose from her seat, padded over to his, her feet oddly bare, and leaned over him. She smoothed the shock of purple in his hair before planting soft kisses, not yet stained with her signature tint, all over his forehead and cheek. "Is anything the matter, my sweet?"

Eridan slid his arm loosely around her waist, smiling up at her. "Oh, no. Nothin' that you need to wworry about." Why did he hate lying to her, he wondered. Was he-? No, he couldn't be. As he looked deep into her lilac eyes he wondered if he was actually falling for her.

Rose sighed, then leaned to touch his forehead with her own. "If you say so." She also wondered how deeply she'd gotten her claws in him- perhaps he was playing along with her, perhaps he really was softening. As for how thoroughly he had hooked her, well, she wasn't sure she wanted to analyze that. "We should probably dress."

Eridan nodded, softly biting his lip. He couldn't let himself get too attached to her; it would be his downfall in the long run. For the time being, he just had to go along with her. "You're right," he said, standing up. He paused a moment to kiss her cheek before going off to find an outfit for him to wear.

Rose let an attendant clear the dishes as she too went to decide on an outfit. She decided on a practical forest green dress with boots, and got most of the way in it by herself, but she had difficulty with the back closure.

Eridan was now dressed in a snug fitting violet dress shirt tucked into a pair of black pants and boots. He came up behind her and closed up the back of her dress. "You seemed to be havvin' a bit of trouble."

Rose turned to face her consort and looked over him with approval. "Thank you."

Eridan nodded and rested his hand on her shoulder as he moved to stand beside her. "You're wwelcome. Noww, wwhat's this about a koi pond?"

Rose smiled and slipped an arm around his waist. "Of course. To the courtyard!"

Eridan smiled as she led him throughout the castle and to the courtyard, an open area with benches and bushes of various sizes, and a large koi pond right in the middle. The whole thing was a marvelous sight, especially in the middle of the day. 

Suddenly, Rose paused to pluck one of her namesakes from a bush; it was a variety colored the same lilac as her eyes. She made sure there were no thorns attached before tucking it in Eridan's hair with a mischievous grin, and brought him over to the pond.

"See how handsome you are?" she said, beaming at his reflection.

Eridan laughed at his appearance. It wasn't often he wore flowers. Now that he thought about it, he had never done so, and had avoided the idea altogether. What was it about her that made him okay with it? "I look ridiculous," he said.  
Rose giggled, genuinely pleased that she'd made him laugh. "If you think one flower makes you look silly, think of what I could do with a whole crown. Besides, I think you look charming."

Eridan grinned from ear to ear at her compliment and turned to her. "The only Rose I wwant to be seen wwith is you, so I don't knoww about a crown," he replied, chuckling. In truth, he would have liked to watch her make a crown of flowers, but he hoped he could make her at least smile with that cheesy line.

Rose laughed, and swatted his arm playfully. She wondered privately if he knew about her making and wearing crowns of roses for events whenever she didn't feel like wearing a proper crown.

Eridan laughed with her and sat down on a bench beside the koi pond. He cast his gaze out across the water, watching as the fish swam around each other. "God, this takes me back."

Rose sat beside him and wiggled a finger at the fish, who were drawn to it, expecting food. "Back to your home, I presume? Speaking of homes, mine is yours too."

Eridan nodded softly, gazing at the fish that had been drawn to Rose. "I spent a lot of time on the shore wwhen I wwas a kid. I'd swwim out to one of the rocks off the coast an' climb it an' just... sit there. All day, just sit there an' look out at the wwater. The fish wwould jump straight out of the wwater, an' some days the wwater wwas clear enough so you could see 'em swwimmin," he said, letting out a drawn out sigh. "But, y'knoww, can't be a kid forevver huh?" he chuckled.

"True," Rose replied. "I was always curious about the sea. However, the majority of my childhood was spent reading in libraries, wandering about murky forests, or learning needlework."

"Oh, you'd lovve the sea," he started, smiling up at her. "It's fickle to be sure, but once you get to knoww it, it is the most beautiful thing you could possibly see." He supposed that it was a lot like her in that way; beautiful, but dangerous.

Rose returned his smile, and appeared to be daydreaming. "I must go there at some point. Perhaps, when this aggression nonsense between our kingdoms ceases, we can go there together."

"Absolutely," he replied. Eridan was already starting to get excited about the little trip they were talking about. He would love to get back out on the sea again, or even just swim. "I'd lovve to take you sailin', there's this nice little spot a feww miles off the coast that's perfect for wwastin' a day."  
Rose leaned toward him and sneaked a kiss, which she imbued with a tiny pleasure-spark. "I don't know that I'd consider it a day wasted."

Eridan grinned, loving when she used her magic on him like that, and leaned against her. "WWell wwith you there, neither wwould I. In the past though, I'd usually go alone."

"You got to go out on the sea alone? I wasn't allowed to leave certain floors of the castle without an attendant until I reached a certain age!" There was a pang of jealousy in Rose's voice.

Eridan shrugged and sat back against the bench. "I guess I sorta took my freedom for granted. It must come wwith havvin' an older brother. My father dumped all his bullshit on him before he ran off someplace, then my father turned it on me."

"Goodness. It appears I may have taken my family's more... even distribution of responsibility for granted myself," Rose admitted.

Eridan chuckled softly at her comment. He hadn't truly realized it before, but his father put an immense amount of pressure on him as a child. It was another one of his few reasons why he was glad to be away from home. If he could pull off this consort deal, he would finally be away from his father.

"I too have a brother- Sir Strider- but we were groomed for different roles," Rose explained absentmindedly while tracing abstract patterns on his hand and arm with a fingertip. She really had grown fond of her sea-prince consort.

"Oh really?" he asked with a smirk. It was only now that he noticed how similar the two of them looked. He wondered why he hadn't realized it sooner. "Noww that you mention it, you twwo are quite similar."

"Yes, Dave is in charge of the legal business, among some other things. He also arranges the music for parties. Since our mother abdicated, it was most preferable that her replacement should be another Queen Lalonde." Rose tossed some flower petals into the pond and watched the fish pursue them.

"Ah, I see." he said, leaning against her. His brother had been groomed to replace his father on the throne, and when his brother left that burden was placed on him. "WWas it hard for you to become a Queen? To adjust to the life?"

"Not really. I had a chance to ease into it before my mother formally passed the throne to me," she elaborated. She leaned back into Eridan, and draped an arm about him casually.

"I'm assumin' you had a good relationship wwith your mother?" he asked, shifting to lie across her lap on the bench, his gaze fixed on her.

"Hm. I suppose it could have been better. I've not communicated with her lately, and didn't very much as a child." Rose looked on at nothing in particular and stroked Eridan's cheek.

"Ah... I see." Eridan's relationship with his mother was nonexistent, for he had never known her. It was said that his kingdom was extremely prosperous when the king and queen ruled together, but when the queen disappeared something inside his father had snapped, and it led to the shape the kingdom was in now.

Rose continued to stroke his cheek as he rested his head in her lap, then leaned down to kiss him softly on the forehead.  
“Eridan, darling,” she intoned, “I’m afraid we mayn’t remain on this bench indefinitely. I have correspondence to check. You may watch the fish some more, if you like.”

Eridan sat up and smiled gently as she arose. “Good point. I think I’ll stay here a bit longer. You havve fun wwith that  
correspondence a yours,” he replied, turning his gaze towards the pond and the fishes therein.

“I’ll make an effort.” Rose smoothed her skirts, blew him a kiss, and off she swept to the postal aviary.


End file.
